When medical student Jamel Benhamida first learned about the Mobile Health Initiative (MHI), he was immediately hooked by the idea of helping communities that historically have had difficulty accessing health care.
"In my eyes, these are the individuals that are most affected by 'falling through the cracks' and, unfortunately, have worse outcomes for some of the diseases that we have the best medicines for," he said.
Being that the core principle of mobile health is to meet patients where they are, Benhamida knew he wanted to get involved in something that strongly aligned with his own values. Volunteering with MHI enabled him to gain greater experience in helping communities that are under-resourced.
"My family is from a small village just off the Mediterranean in the northwest corner of Algeria. I have seen the effects of lack of access to health care amongst my own family members, and recognize the benefit of mobile health clinics for those who cannot travel great distances for medical care," he said.
One of Benhamida's goals of volunteering with MHI was to learn how to address medical problems in a culturally sensitive way that promotes a strong provider-patient relationship.
"While it is important to provide medical care in that moment that the patient is seeking help, the bigger picture is to establish a welcoming environment and trusting relationship; to promote the patient feeling comfortable to seek medical care when needed," he said. "These are the 'soft skills' that are rarely touched on in medical school, and which I have been learning every time I volunteer with MHI."
In addition to gaining hands-on experience, Benhamida also wanted to learn more about the inner workings of MHI, and how it forms partnerships with communities to be better able to serve them. One day he hopes to provide a similar service to the community where his family is from.
In 2025, Benhamida conducted a survey to assess how volunteering with MHI impacted students' career choices, their emotional/spiritual wellbeing, sense of community connectedness, and clinical knowledge.
"Unsurprisingly, there were a significant number of students who were greatly impacted by their volunteer experiences with MHI, myself included," he said. "Many commented on how volunteering with MHI solidified their desire to provide care in underserved communities, improved their wellbeing, helped them develop empathy and cultural humility, as well as improve hands-on clinical skills in under-resourced environments. We found a statistically significant, meaningful enhancement in community connection due to the opportunities provided by MHI to engage with underserved populations."
For Benhamida, medical care is only helpful if it can reach the people who need it the most.
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